Gothenburg -- The 4-day discussions of the Nordic Baltic Rainbow Network at the giant Gothenburg Book Fair and the nearby Museum of World Culture between September 27-30, 2007 in this west coast Swedish city launched enthusiastic plans to increase rainbow co-operation across the Baltic Sea.

*This was a real boost to the work both of the Nordic Rainbow Council and the Swedish Pol-Baltic Network,* says Bill Schiller of the council and of the conference*s co-organizer, Tupilak (Nordic rainbow cultural workers). *Thanks to financial support of the Swedish International Development Cooperation Baltic Unit in Visby on Gotland, we were able to bring colleagues from Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland for concrete, face-to face discussions on how we can build permanent rainbow bridges in the future,* Schiller adds.

Expanding Rainbow Co-operation to Others

Discussions covered increasing information exchange between Network members, developments in arranging Prides (still banned in Lithuania) and other rainbow activities in each country involved, increasing efforts to encourage all Prides to include a Nordic Baltic rainbow seminar or other events as well as using rainbow culture as a powerful complement to the political struggle.

The network will also be open to continuing support from the humanist movement to help combat religious intolerance and take active steps to increase co-operation with other colleagues living in such countries as Russia and the Eastern European dictatorship of Belarus as well as the Russian Baltic enclave of Kaliningrad.

The attendance at some of the discussions of two gay activists from Singapore - where printed magazines and cultural exhibits on homosexuality are banned - indicated the enormous value of keeping such discussions open even to enthusiastic *outsiders.* The Singapore gays have joined the ILGCN (International Lesbian & Gay Cultural Network) and are eager for co-operation with the Nordic Baltic Rainbow Network.

Double Program at Book Fair, Museum

Through strong co-operation with the book fair*s *International Square.* * joining 65 Swedish solidarity groups together,* Network colleagues were given several chances to reach the public through speeches and panel presentations at the main and smaller stages about the rainbow struggle in the region as well as from their information stand.

Blogg in Action, Next Meeting & Cultural Evening Set for Stockholm

Delegates in Gothenburg agreed to share the work load with the following:

Friday, June 15, 2007

Vilnius -- Art, photography, music, song, films and discussions were part of the successful 1st stage of this year's ILGCN(International Lesbian & Gay Cultural Network) world rainbow cultural conference May 24-25 in the Lithuanian capital – part of the week-long pioneering Rainbow Days event.

The international gathering sharply protested the decisions of the Vilnius authorities to ban the planned display of a rainbow flag in the heart of the city, the unprecedented refusal to allow a travelling, European Union-supported anti-discrimination information bus to visit the city, and the banning of EU-supported rainbow campaign posters on the city's trolley buses – containing the words that "a gay can be a policeman" and "a lesbian can be a teacher."

Anna Gavriolova, Elena Mosalova (Belarus LGBT Amnesty)

"This puts Vilnius in the same homo-phobic pot as Moscow, Minsk, Chisenau and

Teheran when it comes to rainbow rights and cultural diversity – instead of with other European Union members," says Bill Schiller, secretary general of the ILGCN Information Secretar-iat in Stockholm. "When political and religious authorities outlaw rainbows and love, they forfeit their right to talk future to generations … they turn their back on democracy and human rights, and strangle a rich cultural heritage now blooming in so many other cities around the world."

Lithuanians, ILGCN co-ordinator Arvydas Vogilis

Special guests at the conference from Minsk described the continuing difficulties of arranging rainbow events in Belarus-- the last dictatorship of Eastern Europe -- and the crucial importance of maintaining international contact with other colleagues.

Emphasizing the enormous importance of films for the visibility of rainbow communities and the ability to reach beyond national borders, the conference approved the creation of a new ILGCN Rainbow Film Secretariat for films and film festivals, based in Riga.

The conference also discussed plans to increase Baltic rainbow collaboration with the 2nd session of the Nordic Rainbow Council in September 27-30 in the Swedish west coast city of Gothenberg, and the 2nd stage of the Nordic Rainbow Humanist session in the same city.

2007 ILGCN Grizzly Bear awards – honoring those fighting especially ferocious homophobia -- were approved for the organizers of Pride and rainbow events in Vilnius, Riga and Tallinn. This year's Clio's Silver Cup award for outstanding LGBT history and documentation went to the "VolunteersOver Borders" in the Belarus city of Gomel

ILGCN Rainbow Film Secretariat

Special greetings were received by the Vilniusconference from the organizers of the 2nd stage of the 2007 ILGCN world rainbow cultural conference in Toronto (scheduled for June 20 and part of Pride Toronto) – with special focus on Iranians in exile and the increasingly dangerous homophobia in Iran with whippings, arrests and executions.

Friday, May 18, 2007

Stockholm * Discussions on "rainbow culture on the barricades, music and song, art and films were the focus of a gathering in the Swedish capital on May 16 * the eve of the International Day Against Homophobia marking the May 17th anniversary of the WHO's abolishment of the "sickness" lable for homosexuality.

The Stockholm event included song and musicians from such performing artists as Jenny Gabrielsson and Peter Fröberg, documentary films from Belarus, international same-sex dance competitions and Stockholm Gay Choir's 25-year history, gay CD music from Estonia and elsewhere, as well as discussions of "rainbows in chains and under siege" in Eastern Europe * and the coming ILGCN (International Lesbian & Gay Cultural Network) culture conference in Vilnius May 24-25.

ILGCN/Tupilak Travelling Art Exhibit

"We were proud to launch our travelling art exhibit starting off with works from Sweden, Lithuania, Finland and Norway for fund-raising for colleagues on the Eastern European barricades, says Bill Schiller of the ILGCN and Tupilak (Nordic rainbow cultural workers).

The cultural gathering took place at the downtown offices of the NBV educational organization and was organized by ILGCN, Tupilak, Nordic Rainbow Council and the Nordic Rainbow Humanists .

Tuesday, March 6, 2007

Applications for 2008 stages coming from North America, Eastern Europe:

ILGCN World Conferences 2007 to Start in Vilnius

Vilnius/Stockholm - The 2007 ILGCN (International Lesbian & GayCultural Network) world rainbow cultural conference stages in 2007 willbegin with Vilnius on May 24-25, continue to Toronto for the "Iran-inExile" stage in June and to Paris/Marseille in October for the"Algeria in Exile"stage.

The Mauritius stage originally planned for 2007will be postponed for a future date.

"We're happy to see applications already coming in for 2008 worldrainbow cultural conference from Eastern Europe and North America,"says Bill Schiller, secretary general of the ILGCN InformationSecretariat in Stockholm. "This is in keeping with our desires tosee stages shared by both East and West -- and to share with differentcities on a large geographic scale knowing that many do not have theability to organize a mega event on their own."

ILGCN "titles" Without Payment

"This is also why we fully support the Polish initiative to shareEuro pride 2008 between Stockholm and Warsaw, and plan to give our fullsupport to the crucial Polish event," adds Schiller.

"Unlike some international prestige events such as Euro Pride ,World Pride, and Gay Games which sell their titles for high priceswithout offering any financial support whatsoever, we will continue tohand out ILGCN world conference stage titles without any charge - and wealways make efforts to provide performers, films, art and photography,and conference seminar hosts," concludes Schiller.

Vilnius/Stockholm - The Lithuanian capital will be the first "stop" for this year's ILGCN (International Lesbian & Gay Cultural Network) world rainbow cultural conference stages - followed by Mauritius (tderavel@intnet.mu )at the end of May (the first ILGCN confer-ence in Africa), the Toronto-based "Iran in Exile" (info@arshampasi.net) stage in June, and the Paris/Marseille-based "Algeria in Exile"(amineh.kouider@btinternet.com) stage in October.

"We invite all interested in international solidarity and rainbow culture to join us in Vilnius in May 18 - the day after our IDAHO celebrations - for this first ILGCN event in our country," says ILGCN Lithuanian co-ordinator, ArvydasVogilis (avo@takas.lt ).

Plans are also to give prominent space to a "Belarus in Exile" event at the conference - following last year's arrests and the KGB torpedoing the planned ILGCN stage in Minsk last November.

Nordic Rainbow Council, Humanists

"We're also pleased that the Vilnius event will include this year's sessions of the Nordic Rainbow Council (promoting co-operation over Nordic borders and beyond), and the annual Nordic Rainbow Humanist gathering - especially discussing the ugly outburst of the Lithuanian church against homosexuality and the many members of parliament giving open support for this medieval, homophobic intolerance -- a threat to all our human rights and rainbow cultural identity," says Bill Schiller, international secretary of the Council and secretary general of the ILGCN Information Secretariat in Stockholm.

"We also plan to give a special Nordic tribute to our LGBT humanist colleagues in Nigeria who are courageously publically condemning the Nigerian parliament's draconian proposal to ban homosexual relations and even social contact between lesbians and gays," Schiller adds.

******************************Photo caption: ArvydasVogilis in Moscow for the 1st Pride 2006